Method or art of making insulated wire



W. E. COOK.

METHOD OR ART OF MAKING INSULATED WIRE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.24. 191,7.

1,41 5 1 55 Patented May 9, 1922.

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v l/VVE/VTOR TTOR/VEK WILLIAM E. COOK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, B YIIE SNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE PEERLESS INSULATED WIRE AND CABLE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A COR- PORATION OF DELAWARE.

METHOD OR ART OF MAKING INSULATED WIRE.

Application filed April 24,

To all whom it may 00-12 061m- Be it known that I, IVILLIAM E. Coon, a

subjectof the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at St. George, in the borough of Richmond. city of New York. county of RichmondJand State of New York. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method or Art of Making Insulated ire. of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof. My invention relates to a method or art of making insulated wire and more particularly to improvements in producing wire having an insulation consisting of an absorbent body saturated or impregnated with asphaltum or other composition for waterproofing, and increasing the resistance of the coating material.

In a co-pending application of mine, Serial No. 164.302 I have described a method or art which consists in spirally wrapping a cotton sliver about a wire coated with adhesive. and confining the sliver. in com pressed condition. upon the wire by wrapping binding threads or cords about the compacted sliver prior to the saturation or impregnation of the sliver and the binding material, with an asphaltum or other composition. In this method or art. the binding threads or cords are wrapped about the sliver in a spiral, the pitch of which is coincident with that at which the sliver is wrapped about the wire. While I have found that a wire constructed in this manner is highly satisfactory, nevertheless there is a possibility that as the result of the exhaustion of the adhesive bond between the sliver and the wire, or throughout the sliver, the sliver might unwind. and the binding threads or cords. being wound spirally about it at the same pitch, would necessarily unwind with it.

By my present invention. I avoid a possibility of this condition arising by spirally winding the binding thread or cord about the cotton sliver at a lower pitch than that at which said sliver is wound and in a reverse direction. thus causing a plurality of convolutions of said binding thread or cord to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1922.

1917. Serial No. 164,306.

cross the lap between succeeding convolution of said cotton sliver in a manner to not only prevent the sliver and the thread or cord being simultaneously unwound, but to minimizeany tendency of the sliver to begin to unwind while the wire is being handled during its installation.

By the method or art of my present in-f vention, the covering braid for the wire is entirely dispensed with, and the covered wire is produced by a substantially simultaneous, or continuous operation.

The invention consists primarily in the herein described method or art of making insulated wire consisting of winding acotton sliver spirally about a conductor wire with the edges thereof overlapping. compacting said sliver upon the wire. spirally winding a strand of flexible absorbent material about and embedding successive con'volutions thereof within. said sliver while it is compacted, said strand being wound in a direction the reverse of. and at lower pitch than that in which said sliver is wound, and thereafter saturating or impregnating said sliver and said strand with a viscous composition whereby the insulating property is increased the completed wire is waterproofed and the fibres of said sliver and said strand are bonded together: and in such other novel steps and practices as are hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine showing the manner of applying the cotton sliver and the binding to a conductor w1re;

and

Fig. 2 illustrates an apparatus used in the step of saturating or impregnatlng the covering for the wire with asphaltum or other viscous composition.

Like letters refer to like parts in both views.

In the practice of the method or art of my invention, a continuous strand of a conductor wire a is passed through a bath of adhesive material indicated at b and has imparted thereto continuous traverse at a substantially uniform speed, being passed over the rollers 0 to a rewinding reel (not shown). During this traverse a continuous strip of cotton sliver (Z is spirally wound about the conductor wire a, the edges of succeeding convolutions forming a lap joint so as to secure continuity of this cover and substantially the same thickness thereof throughout. This sliver is applied by means of a rotating platform e adapted to carry a container f for the sliver, the wire a passing vertically through this platform, axially thereof. After the application of the sliver to the wire, the wire with the sliver thereon passes through a compressing horn g havterial such as cotton thread, or cord which and finishing irons is continuously rotated so' as to wind said thread, or cord spirally about the cotton sliver. This thread, or cord is subjected to tensioning stresses in any desired manner, so as to cause it to tightly embrace the cotton sliver and be firmly imbedded therein.

By applying the confining thread or cord immediately following the final compression of the cotton sliver, the desired density of the covering material is secured.

Preferably a plurality of independent parallel strands are used, to permit the use of a fairly wide sliver confined at a number of different points by the thread or cord.

In order to cause the strand of thread or cord to be wound spirally upon the compressed or compacted sliver, as desired. the frame 71 is rotated in. a direction opposite to that in which the platform 6 is rotated, and at a greater speed so as to have the pitch of the thread or cord, lower than that of the sliver. In this manner the number of convolutions of the thread or cord per foot will be greater than those of the sliver, and a plurality of convolutions of said thread or cord will cross the lap between succeeding convolutions of the said sliver.

After the cotton sliver has been applied to the wire, and confined in position by the spirally wound strand. or strands of thread or cord, the wire with its covering is passing through a tank k containing a mass of viscous, insulating. adhesive and waterproof material. such as the asphaltum composition ordinarily used in making insulating wires. The wire after the setting of this composition is waxed and passed through polishing giving the desired. and final finish thereto.

By reason of the application of adhesive to the wire before wrapping the sliver spirally thereupon, this sliver will be firmly bonded to the wire so as to resist displacement by the compression horns even though these horns do not have rotary movement.

\Vhile the covered wire. is in the asphaltum or other similar bath, the cotton sliver will readily absorb this composition by reason of the fact that substantial areas of the cotton sliver project between the strands of thread or cord, which as heretofore stated, are imbedded well within the sliver, the portions of the sliver between said strands forming ducts through which'the composition may readily flow to the bottom of the sliver.

The compression of the sliver'will matte the fibers thereof, the thread or cord preventing expansion after compression, and

the application of the asphaltum or other I plied to the exterior of the sliver, in holding the sliver in-its compacted condition upon the wire.

In this manner, I am enabled by a substantially simultaneous, or continuous operation to apply both the cotton sliver-and the binding thread or cord to the wire thereby gaining the advantage over the present methods of avoiding the necessity for passing the wires successively through a machine for wrapping the sliver about the wlre, and a machine for applying the cover thereto.

Having described the invention what if claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is 1. The herein described method or art of making insulated wire consisting in wlnding a cotton sliver spirally about a conductor wire with the edges thereof overlapping. compacting said sliver upon the wire, winding a strand of flexible, absorbent material spirally about and embed ding successive convolutions thereof within said sliver while it is compacted, said strand being wound in a direction the reverse of that at which said sliver is wound, and ata different pitch. with succeeding convolutions thereof spaced apart, whereby said strand will cros the lap bet-ween succeeding convolutions of said sliver and ducts will be formed between succeeding convolutions of saidstrands to facilitate the penetration of a viscous composition throughout the entire body of said sliver and thereafter saturating or impregnating said sliver and said strand with a viscous composition whereby the insulating property is increased, the completed wire is water-.1

making insulated wire consisting in winding a cotton sliver spirally about a conductor wire with the edges thereof overlapping, compacting saidsliver uponthe wire, winding a strandof flexible, absorbent material spirally about and embedding successive convolutions thereof within said sliver while it is compacted, said strand being wound in a direction the reverse of that at which said sliver is wound, and at a lower pitch, with succeeding convolutions thereof spaced apart, whereby said strand will cross the lap between succeeding convolutions of said sliver, and ducts will be formed betweenisucceeding convolutions of said strands to facilitate the penetration of a viscous composition throughout the entire body of said sliver and thereafter saturating or impregnating said sliver. and said strand with a viscous composition whereby the insulating property is increased, the completed wire is waterproofed, and the fibers of said sliver and said" strands are bonded together.

3. The herein described method or art of,

making insulatedwire consisting in winding a cotton sliver spirally about a conductor wire with the edges thereof overlapping, compacting said sliver upon the wire, winding a plurality of strands of flexible, ab-

sorbent material spirally about and embed-' ding successive convolutions thereof within said sliver while it is compacted, said strands being laid in parallel planes and being wound about said sliver in a direction the reverse of that at which said sliver is wound and at a difi'erent pitch from that at which said sliver is wound, with succeeding convolutions thereof spaced apart,

, whereby said strands will cross the lap between succeeding convolutions of said sliver, and ducts will be formed between succeeding convolutions of said strands to facilitate the penetration of a viscous composition throughout the entire body of said sliver and thereafter saturating or impregnating said sliver and said strands with a viscous composition whereby the insulating property is increased, the completed wire is waterproofed. and the fibers of said sliver and said strands are bonded together.

4. The herein described method or art of making insulated wire consisting in winding a cotton sliver spirally about a conductor wire with the edges thereof overlapping, compacting said sliver upon the wire, winding a plurality of strands of, flexible, absorbent material spirally about and embedding successive convolutions thereof within said sliver while it is compacted, said.

strands being laid in parallel planes and being wound about said sliver in a direction the reverse of that at which said sliver is wound and at a lower pitch than that at which said sliver is wound, with succeeding convolutions thereof spaced apart, whereby said strands will cross the lap between succeeding convolutions of sald sliver, and ducts will be formed between succeeding convolutions of said strands to facilitate the penetration of a viscous composition compacted, said strand being wound in a direction the reverse of that at which said sliver is wound, and at a different pitch from that at which said sliver is wound, with succeeding convolutions thereof spaced apart, whereby said strand will cross the lap between succeeding convolutions of said sliver, and-ducts will be formed between succeeding convolutions of said strands to facilitate the penetration of a viscous composition throughout'the entire body of said sliver tensioning said strand while it is being wound to imbed it in the sliver, and thereafter saturating or impregnating said sliver andsaid strand with aviscous composition whereby the insulating property is increased, the completed wire is waterproofed, and the fibers of said sliver and said strands are bonded together.

6. The herein described method or art of making insulated wire consisting in winding a cotton sliver spirally about a conductor wire with the edges thereof overlapping, compacting said sliver upon the wire, winding a plurality of strands of flexible, absorbent material spirally about said sliver while it is compacted, said strands being laid in parallel planes and being wound about it is being wound to imbed it in the sliver,

and thereafter saturating or impregnating said sliver and said strands with a viscous composition whereby the insulating property is increased, the completed wire is waterproofed, and the fibers of said sliver and said strands are bonded together.

In witness whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 9th day of April, 1917. m

- \VILLIAMl E. COOK.

\Vitnesses:

BERTHA MUELLER, CLARIGE FRANCE. 

